Phone holder

ABSTRACT

A phone holder for holding a mobile phone in a connected state with a holder connector. The phone holder has a fixed casing and a movable casing. The movable casing is mounted with the holder connector and formed with a hollow portion therein. The movable casing is mounted on the fixed casing and is settable between a housed position and a detachable position. When set at the detachable position, the hollow portion of the movable casing is accessible to enable insertion of the mobile phone in the movable casing in the connecting direction with the holder connector.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. [Field of the Invention]

[0002] This invention relates to a phone holder which is mounted in apassenger compartment of a vehicle to enable holding of a mobile phone.

[0003] 2. [Description of the Background Art]

[0004] In recent years, as mobile phones become popular, various typesof phone holders for use in e.g., a vehicle which enable holding of themobile phone in a connected state with a holder connector have beendeveloped. One of such phone holders comprises a holder main body suchas a base frame capable of holding a mobile phone, and a holderconnector mounted on the holder main body or a vehicle body via a curlcord or its equivalent. A mobile phone is held by the phone holder insuch a manner that it is connected to the holder connector when themobile phone is positioned relative to the holder main body and heldtherein by an engaging means.

[0005] In the above phone holder, a connecting operation of the mobilephone with the holder connector and a positioning operation of themobile phone relative to the holder main body are not feasible when adriver has to perform the above operations during driving. Further,while driving, a holding state of the mobile phone set in the phoneholder is unstable due to a shaking of the vehicle and the like.Accordingly, the phone may be disconnected from the holder connector ormay come out of the holder main body.

[0006] To eliminate the above drawbacks, a phone holder as shown in FIG.45 has been developed. This phone holder is incorporated in a vehiclebody 200, and comprises a holder main body 202 and a hollow portion(phone insertion space) 204 to insert a mobile phone T in asubstantially horizontal posture from above. A holder connector 206 isfixed to a side portion of the hollow portion 204 to be connected to themobile phone T placed in the hollow portion 204.

[0007] The above phone holder of prior art has the problem such thatwhen setting the mobile phone T in the hollow portion 204 in a connectedstate with the holder connector 206, the mobile phone T has to beinserted in the hollow portion 204 from above in the direction of arrow{circle over (1)} (first stage of insertion). Then, the mobile phone Thas to be shifted by a certain length horizontally toward the holderconnector 206 in the direction of arrow {circle over (2)} (second stageof insertion) to be connected with the holder connector 206.Accordingly, a length L1 of the hollow portion 204 must be set greaterthan a length L2 of the mobile phone T by a length corresponding to astroke of connecting the mobile phone T with the holder connector 206 inthe second stage. Accordingly, the phone holder requires a large spacefor installation, becoming a hindrance against an idea of installing thephone holder in a limited space of the vehicle body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In view of the above problem of the prior art, it is an object ofthis invention to provide a phone holder that enables holding of amobile phone with an easy operation in a stable state.

[0009] To fulfil the above object, the phone holder according to thisinvention comprises: a movable casing formed with a hollow portionadapted for receiving the mobile phone; a holder connector mounted onthe movable casing at such a position as to be connectable with themobile phone when the mobile phone is inserted in the movable casing:and a fixed casing for supporting the movable casing. The movable casingis settable between a housed position where the movable casing is housedin the fixed casing along with the mobile phone and a detachableposition where the hollow portion is accessible to allow insertion ofthe mobile phone with the holder connector and ejection of the mobilephone.

[0010] It should be noted that “the housed position” of the movablecasing is not limited to a position where the movable casing along withthe mobile phone is completely accommodated in the fixed casing, andincludes a state where part of the movable casing and the mobile phoneis exposed outside of the fixed casing.

[0011] In this arrangement, the mobile phone can be inserted in the samedirection as the connecting direction with the holder connector in thehollow portion of the movable casing when the movable casing is set tothe detachable position, thereby facilitating connection with the holderconnector in the connecting direction. After the connection, simplysetting the movable casing to the housed position enables housing of themovable casing along with the mobile phone in the fixed casing.

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent upon a reading of thefollowing detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a phone holder as afirst embodiment according to this invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state that a movable casingis detached from a fixed casing in the first embodiment;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state that a mobile phoneis about to be inserted in the movable casing at a detachable position;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state that the mobile phoneis inserted in the movable casing at the detachable position;

[0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state that the mobile phoneand the movable casing are accommodated in the fixed casing at a housedposition;

[0018]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a holder connector provided on themovable casing;

[0019]FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the holderconnector and an operated shaft for operating an operable member;

[0020]FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a statethat the holder connector and the operable member are provided in themovable casing;

[0021]FIG. 9 is a cross sectional rear view showing a state that theoperable member of the holder connector is not applied with an externalforce when the movable casing is set at the housed position;

[0022]FIG. 10 is a cross sectional rear view showing a state that theoperable member of the holder connector is depressed by the operatedshaft when the movable casing is set at the detachable position;

[0023]FIG. 11 is a cross sectional perspective view showing a lockingmechanism incorporated in the phone holder;

[0024]FIG. 12A is a partially cross sectional side view showing a statethat the locking mechanism retains the mobile phone at the housedposition;

[0025]FIG. 12B is a partially cross sectional perspective view showing astate that the locking mechanism releases the locked state of the mobilephone;

[0026]FIG. 13 is a cross sectional front view showing a state that abattery casing of the mobile phone is fitted in a recess of the movablecasing;

[0027]FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a phone holder as asecond embodiment according to this invention;

[0028]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the second phone holder before amovable casing is mounted on a fixed casing;

[0029]FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state that a mobile phoneis about to be inserted in the movable casing at a detachable positionin the second embodiment;

[0030]FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a state that the mobilephone and the movable casing are accommodated in the fixed casing at ahoused position in the second embodiment;

[0031]FIG. 18 is a cross sectional front view showing a state that themovable casing is set at the detachable position in the secondembodiment;

[0032]FIG. 19 is a cross sectional front view showing a state that themovable casing is set at the housed position;

[0033]FIG. 20 is a cross sectional side view showing a state that aholder connector is mounted on the movable casing in the secondembodiment;

[0034]FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of a phone holder as athird embodiment according to this invention;

[0035]FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a state before a movablecasing is mounted on a fixed casing in the third embodiment;

[0036]FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a state that a mobile phoneis about to be inserted in the movable casing at a detachable positionin the third embodiment;

[0037]FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a state that the mobilephone is inserted in the movable casing at the detachable position inthe third embodiment;

[0038]FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a state that the mobilephone and the movable casing are accommodated in the fixed casing at ahoused position;

[0039] FIG.26 is a cross sectional front view of the third phone holderin the housed state of FIG. 25;

[0040]FIG. 27 is a cross sectional side view of the third phone holderof FIG. 23;

[0041]FIG. 28 is a cross sectional side view of the third phone holderof FIG. 25;

[0042]FIG. 29 is a cross sectional side view showing a state that themobile phone is inadvertently about to be inserted obliquely from abovein the movable casing of the third embodiment;

[0043]FIG. 30 is a partially cross sectional plan view of a phone holderas a fourth embodiment according to this invention;

[0044]FIG. 31 is a cross sectional side view of the fourth phone holder;

[0045]FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing a state that a mobile phoneis about to be inserted in a phone holder as a fifth embodimentaccording to this invention;

[0046]FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing a state that the mobilephone is set in a movable casing of the fifth phone holder;

[0047]FIG. 34 is a perspective view showing a state that the mobilephone and the movable casing are retracted to a connected position witha holder connector in the fifth embodiment;

[0048]FIG. 35 is a cross sectional front view of the fifth phone holder;

[0049]FIG. 36 is a cross sectional perspective view showing a statebefore the mobile phone is connected with the holder connector in thefifth embodiment;

[0050]FIG. 37 is a cross sectional perspective view showing a stateafter the mobile phone is connected with the holder connector in thefifth embodiment;

[0051]FIG. 38 is a perspective view showing a state that an upper casingof a connector module is omitted in the fifth embodiment;

[0052]FIG. 39 is a perspective view showing a state that a lower casingof the connector module is omitted in the fifth embodiment;

[0053]FIG. 40 is a plan view showing a state that the holder connectoris biased forward in the connector module of the fifth embodiment;

[0054]FIG. 41 is a partially cross sectional plan view showing a statethat a phone connector is being connected to the holder connector in theconnector module while the mobile phone is inserted toward the holderconnector;

[0055]FIG. 42 is a plan view showing a state that the movable casing ofthe fifth phone holder is biased at a foremost position;

[0056]FIG. 43 is a plan view showing a state that the movable casing ofthe fifth phone holder is retracted at a rearmost position;

[0057]FIG. 44 is a plan view showing a state that a movement of themovable casing is restricted in the fifth embodiment;

[0058]FIG. 45 is a partially cross sectional perspective view of a phoneholder of prior art showing a manner of inserting a mobile phone in ahollow portion of the phone holder; and

[0059]FIGS. 46A to 46C are side views respectively showing a state thatmobile phones of different types are formed with a battery casing of asmall thickness, a medium thickness, and a large thickness.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0060] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of this invention is describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that ingeneral throughout the detailed description, a lengthwise direction of amobile phone l, a widthwise direction thereof w, and a thicknessdirection thereof t are respectively defined, but not limited to, as aphone insertion direction, a transverse direction (widthwise) direction,and a thickness direction (see FIG. 3). However, for the purpose of easyunderstanding with clear and concise description and figures, one ormore of the above directionalities may be referred to as differentterminology.

[0061] [First Embodiment]

[0062] A first embodiment of a phone holder of this invention isdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13.

[0063] The phone holder in this embodiment comprises a fixed casing 10,a movable casing 20, and a holder connector 30.

[0064] The fixed casing 10 is fixed in a certain position (e.g., aninstrumental panel of an automotive vehicle), and is shaped into avessel-like form with a hollow portion (movable casing accommodatingspace) 11 opened upward. The fixed casing 10 is formed with a throughhole 12 at a rear portion on opposite side walls thereof.

[0065] The movable casing 20 is formed with a hollow portion (phoneinsertion space) 21 to set a mobile phone T therein. The hollow portion21 is opened upward at a forward portion of the movable casing 20, andis also opened in a front direction (in a direction opposite to aconnecting direction of the mobile phone T with the holder connector30). For easy understanding, a portion of connecting the mobile phone Twith the holder connector 30 is referred to as a “rear portion” of thephone holder, while the portion opposite to the rear portion in thelengthwise direction of the mobile phone T is referred to a “forwardportion” of the phone holder throughout the description unless otherwisespecifically defined with a clear and concise term.

[0066] A pivot shaft 22 is insertable in the through holes 12 of thefixed casing 10 and through holes at a rear portion of the movablecasing 20 in the transverse direction of the mobile phone T. When thepivot shaft 22 is inserted in the through holes 12 of the fixed casing10 and the corresponding through holes of the movable casing 20 andfastened with fastening means such as a bolt and a nut, the movablecasing 20 is mounted on the fixed casing 10 to be pivotable about anaxis of the pivot shaft 22.

[0067] A torsion spring (biasing member) 40 (see FIG. 1) is wound aroundthe pivot shaft 22 to raise the movable casing 20 upward in such adirection as to rotate the movable casing 20 in a clockwise direction inFIG. 3, i.e., to set the movable casing 20 to a detachable positionwhich is described later due to a biasing force of the torsion spring40.

[0068] More specifically, the movable casing 20 is supported on thefixed casing 10 to switch the position thereof between a housed position(position of FIG. 5) where the movable casing 20 is housed in the hollowportion 11 in a substantially horizontal state and the detachableposition (position of FIGS. 3 and 4) where a forward portion of themovable casing 20 is raised up from the housed position to render thehollow portion 21 accessible to the mobile phone T from outside to placethe mobile phone T therein. The biasing force of the torsion spring 40is applied to the movable casing 20 to set the movable casing 20 at thedetachable position.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 13, a battery casing 90 is mounted on a bottomplane of the mobile phone T in this embodiment to accommodate a batterytherein. The battery casing 90 has a greater thickness (i.e., bulgeddownward in FIG. 13) than the other bottom portion of the mobile phoneT, and a width thereof (transverse direction in FIG. 13) is reduced asdirected downward. A recess 23 is formed in a bottom wall of the movablecasing 20 to receive the bulged battery casing 90 of the mobile phone T.

[0070] Specifically, referring to FIG. 13, each of the opposite innerside surfaces 23 a of the recess 23 is tapered toward the middle of thewidth of the mobile phone T in the downward direction. A guide groove 94is formed on opposite outer side walls at a rear portion of the batterycasing 90 extending in the lengthwise direction of the mobile phone T. Aguide rib 29 which is engageable in the guide groove 94 is formed at theinner side surface 23 a. The engagement of the guide ribs 29 in theguide grooves 94 fixedly sets the battery casing 90 of the mobile phoneT at a certain height level when the mobile phone T is set in themovable casing 20.

[0071] A phone connector TC shown in FIG. 6 is mounted at a rear end ofthe mobile phone T (left end in FIG. 3).

[0072] The holder connector 30 is provided at such a position on therear portion of the movable casing 20 as to be connectable with thephone connector TC when the mobile phone T is placed in the hollowportion 21.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 6. the holder connector 30 is integrally formedwith a connector main body 31 and a pair of operable members 32. Theoperable member 32 is a thin piece and is integral with the connectormain body 31 due to a connection of the connector main body 31 with afront end (upper end in FIG. 6) and a rear end (lower end in FIG. 6)thereof.

[0074] More specifically, the operable member 32 is bulged outward inthe width direction of the mobile phone T at an intermediate portion andcurved into a substantially arc shape. When an external pressing forceis applied to the intermediate portions of the operable members 32, theoperable members 32 are deformed inward (see the state of the operablemembers 32 shown by the broken line in FIG. 6).

[0075] An engaging piece (locking member) 33 is projected from a sidesurface of a front portion of each of the operable members 32. When theoperable members 32 are not applied with an external pressing force, asshown by the solid line in FIG. 6, the engaging pieces 33 are fitted inrecesses Ch formed in an inner side surface of the phone connector TC toretain a connected state of the phone connector TC with the holderconnector 30.

[0076] On the other hand, when a pressing force is applied to theoperable members 32 to deform the intermediate portion thereof inward,as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, the engaging pieces 33 areretracted inward (disengaged from the recesses Ch) to release the lockedstate (connected state) of the holder connector 30 with the phoneconnector TC.

[0077] Reference numeral 34 in FIG. 6 is a stopper which is provided onthe connector main body 31 to restrict the operable member 32 fromdeforming beyond a maximum amount.

[0078] A pair of operated shafts (movable members) 42 (see FIG. 1) areprovided at such a position as to oppose to widthwise outer ends of theholder connector 30 at the rear portion of the movable casing 20. Anupright projecting piece (stopper) 42 a (see FIG. 7) is provided near anoutward end of each of the operated shafts 42 to prohibit a rotation ofthe operated shafts 42.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 8, a through cutaway 26 extending from an outerside surface of the movable casing 20 to the operable member 32 of theholder connector 30 (i.e., extending in the widthwise direction of themobile phone T) is formed in the rear portion of the movable casing 20at opposite ends in the width direction of the mobile phone T. A stopperreceptor 26 a is formed in an outer side of each of the through cutaways26 to accommodate a main body of the operated shaft 42 and the stopper42 a therein.

[0080] Fitting of the stopper 42 a in the stopper receptors 26 aprevents the operated shafts 42 from rotating about an axis thereof,while allowing a movement thereof in the axial direction (widthwisedirection of the mobile phone T). Abutment of the stopper projections 42a with lids 24 (only one lid is shown in FIG. 2) which cover the stopperreceptors 26 a from outside prevents falling off of the operated shafts42 from the movable casing 20. Each of the lids 24 is formed with athrough hole 24 a through which an outer end of each of the operatedshafts 42 protrudes outward from an outer wall of the movable casing 20.

[0081] A groove 13 of an arc shape (curved shape) (as a guide member)(see FIGS. 1 & 7) is formed in an inner side of each of the side wallsof the fixed casing 10 at a position opposing to the outer end of theoperated shaft 42. The groove 13 is so shaped as to follow a track of amovement of the operated shaft (as a movable member) 42 while themovable casing 20 is pivoted about an axis of the operated shaft 42. Arecess 13 a which is deeper than the other portion of the groove 13 isformed at a foremost end of the groove 13 (i.e., at a contact positionwith the operated shaft 42 when the movable casing 20 is set to thehoused position).

[0082] More specifically, the shape and the depth (dimension in thewidthwise direction of the mobile phone T) of the groove 13 are set asfollows. When the movable casing 20 is set at the housed position, asshown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the outer ends of the operated shafts 42 arefitted in the deepmost recesses 13 a while applied with a restoringforce of the operable members 32 (urged laterally outward), therebyengaging the locking members 33 of the holder connector 30 in therecesses Ch of the mobile phone T (i.e., setting the locking members 33at a lock position).

[0083] On the other hand, when the movable casing 20 is raised up to beset at the detachable position, as shown in FIG. 10, the operated shafts42 move out of the deepmost recesses 13 a while moving along the shallowportion of the grooves 13 rearward and finally abut against rearmostends of the grooves 13 to cause the inner ends of the operated shafts 42to push back the intermediate portions of the operable members 32laterally inward with a sufficient force, thereby deforming the operablemembers 32 inward to disengage the locking members 33 from the recessesCh (setting the locking members 33 at an unlock position).

[0084] Reference numeral 25 in FIG. 1 is a lid which covers the rearportion of the holder connector 30.

[0085] A locking mechanism 50 for retaining the movable casing 20 at thehoused position is provided in a front wall (see FIG. 1) of the fixedcasing 10. The locking mechanism 50 comprises, as shown in FIGS. 1, 11,12A and 12B, a locking member 51, a spring 52, a base block 53, and aoperable member 54.

[0086] A main body of the locking member 51 is accommodated in a throughhollow portion 14 a which is formed in the front wall 14 extending inthe lengthwise direction of the mobile phone T to be slidable in thethrough hollow portion 14 a in the lengthwise direction of the mobilephone T.

[0087] Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, an upper surface of the main bodyof the locking member 51 is shaped into a tapered surface 51 a slantingdownward in the rearward direction. A locking portion 51 b extendsrearward from the main body of the locking member 51. Fitting of a rearend of the locking portion 51 b in a recess 96 (see FIGS. 12A and 12B)formed in a front end of the mobile phone T sets the mobile phone T at alock position (see FIG. 12A).

[0088] The spring 52 is a thin metal plate, and has a bent shapeincluding a horizontal portion (main portion) and a bent portion 52 awhich stands up from the main portion. The main portion of the spring 52is fixed on a top surface of lower part of the front wall 14 which isformed by defining the through hollow 14 a. Abutment of a lead end ofthe bent portion 52 a against the locking member 51 sets the lockingmember 51 in a biased state urged rearward due to a biasing force of thebent portion 52 a.

[0089] The base block 53 is integrally formed with a bottom plate 53 aand a guide column 53 b which stands upright from the bottom plate 53 a.The base block 53 is fixed on the fixed casing 10 at such a position asto render a bottom surface of the bottom plate 53 a and a bottom surfaceof the fixed casing 10 substantially flush with each other.

[0090] The operable member 54 has a pushing pin 54 b and a main body,and is so formed as to set the pushing pin 54 b projecting outward froman upper surface of the main body when a pressing force is not applied.The pushing pin 54 b is inserted in a through hole 14 b which is formedin a vertical direction in the front wall 14. The insertion of thepushing pin 54 b in the through hole 14 b while supported by the uprightguide column 53 b sets an entirety of the operable member 54 verticallymovable in the following manner.

[0091] A lower surface of a main body of the operable member 54 isshaped into a tapered surface 54 a slanting downward in the rearwarddirection of the mobile phone T. The operable member 54 is provided atsuch a position as to render the tapered surface 54 a in contact withthe tapered surface 51 a of the locking member 51.

[0092] Specifically, when the pushing pin 54 b is not pressed downward,the operable member 54 is urged rearward away from the locking member 51due to a biasing force of the bent portion 52 a of the spring 52 toretain an engagement of the locking portion 51 b in the recess 96 of themobile phone T (setting the mobile phone T at a lock position) so as toretain the mobile phone T at the housed position (see FIG. 12A).

[0093] On the other hand, when the pushing pin 54 b is depresseddownward with a finger of a person or its equivalent to lower theentirety of the operable member 54 downward, the locking member 51,which is in contact with the operable member 54 at the tapered surfaces54 a, 51 a, is moved forward against the biasing force of the bentportion 52 a, thereby allowing the locking portion 51 b to come outforward from the recess 96 of the mobile phone T (i.e., releasing theengagement of the locking member 51 with the mobile phone T) (see FIG.12B).

[0094] Reference numeral 15 in FIG. 1 is a cutaway which is formed inthe front wall 14 to receive an antenna 92 (see FIG. 5) of the mobilephone T when the mobile phone T is set in the fixed casing 20 at thehoused position. Reference numeral 16 (see FIG. 1) is a lid to cover thethrough hollow 14 a from the front direction.

[0095] Next, an operation of the phone holder of the first embodiment isdescribed.

[0096] When the movable casing 20 is not set at a locked position by thelocking mechanism 50, the movable casing 20 is set at a detachableposition shown in FIG. 3 due to a biasing force of the torsion spring40. In other words, in this state, the hollow portion (phone insertionspace) 21 is set opened upward and in the front direction.

[0097] When the movable casing 20 is set at the detachable position, theouter ends of the operated shafts 42 are abutted against the shallowrearmost end of the recess 13 opposite to the deepmost recess 13 a.Thereby, the inner ends of the operated shafts 42 press the operablemembers 32 inward to deform the operable members 32 inward, andaccordingly, the engaging pieces 33 are set at the unlock position shownby the broken line in FIG. 6.

[0098] When the mobile phone T is inserted in the hollow portion 21 fromthe front direction in this state, connection of the phone connector TCwith the holder connector 30 in the phone insertion direction isfacilitated.

[0099] After the connection, pushing the mobile phone T from above witha small force to set the movable casing 20 at the housed position(position to accommodate the movable casing 20 in the movable casingaccommodating space 11 of the fixed casing 10) against the biasing forceof the torsion spring 40 temporarily and slightly shifts the lockingportion 51 b of the locking mechanism 50 forward due to a pressingcontact with the front end of the mobile phone T.

[0100] Thereafter, when the movable casing 20 (and the mobile phone T)is securely accommodated in the fixed casing 10 at the housed position,the locking portion 51 b is returned to an engaged state (i.e., movedrearward) in the recess 96 of the mobile phone T. Thereby, the movablecasing 20 and the mobile phone T are locked at the housed positionagainst the biasing force of the torsion spring 40.

[0101] When the movable casing 20 is set at the housed position, theouter ends of the operated shafts 42 are fled in the deepmost recess 13a of the groove 13 to set the operable members 32 in a released state(urged outward), and the engaging pieces (locking members) 33 are fittedin the recesses Ch of the phone connector TC to set the operable members32 at the lock position. Thereby, the connected state of the holderconnector 30 with the phone connector TC is secured at the lockposition.

[0102] Next, an operation of switching the movable casing 20 from thehoused position to the detachable position is described. Referring toFIGS. 12A and 12B, pressing the pushing pin 54 b downward lowers theoperable member 54 downward and moves the locking member 51 forward torelease the locked state of the locking portion 51 b in the recess 96 ofthe mobile phone T (see FIG. 12B). Thereby, the movable casing 20springs up to the detachable position by the biasing force of thetorsion spring 40.

[0103] Accompanied with the spring-up of the movable casing 20 (pivot ofthe movable casing 20 about the pivot shaft 22), the operated shafts 42push the operable members 32 of the holder connector 30 inward whileguided rearward along the grooves 13 of the fixed casing 10 from thedeepmost recesses 13 a to the shallow portion of the grooves 13. Inaccordance with the inward pressing of the operable members 32, thelocking members 33 are disengaged from the recesses Ch of the mobilephone T. In this way, when the locking members 33 are returned to theunlock position, the mobile phone T is ejectable from the hollow portion21 of the movable casing 20.

[0104] As mentioned above, the phone holder of this embodiment isconstructed such that the movable casing 20 is settable between thehoused position and the detachable position.

[0105] Accordingly, compared to the prior art phone holder shown in FIG.45 in which the phone insertion direction (direction of arrow {circleover (1)}) and the connecting direction (direction of arrow {circle over(2)}) differ, the phone holder of this embodiment can be reduced in sizeto reduce an installation space for the phone holder as much as possiblebecause the entire length of the phone insertion space 21 can be set atsubstantially the same length as the entire length of the mobile phone T(i.e. at a minimum size to accommodate the mobile phone T).

[0106] In particular, in this embodiment, the movable casing 20comprises the torsion spring (biasing member) 40 to set the movablecasing 20 at the detachable position, and the locking mechanism 50 toset the movable casing 20 at the housed position against the biasingforce of the torsion spring 40 and release the locked state.Accordingly, merely pressing the pushing pin 54 b of the lockingmechanism 50 automatically releases the engaged state of the movablecasing 20 and sets the movable casing 20 at the detachable position,thereby facilitating ejection of the mobile phone T from the movablecasing 20.

[0107] In this embodiment, the operated shafts (movable members) 42automatically switches the holder connector 30 between the lock positionand the unlock position in association with a rotation of the movablecasing 20. Accordingly, an additional operation of a user to switch theholder connector 30 between the lock position and the unlock positioncan be omitted, thereby rendering the phone holder user-friendly.

[0108] In the first embodiment, the movable casing 20 is pivotable aboutthe axis of the pivot shaft 22, and the holder connector 30 is arrangednear the axis of the pivot shaft 22. With this arrangement, an operationto connect the mobile phone T with the holder connector 30 whileinserting the mobile phone T in the movable casing 20 is feasible,thereby enhancing the operability of the phone holder.

[0109] [Second Embodiment]

[0110] Next, a second embodiment of the phone holder according to thisinvention is described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 20. It should benoted that elements of the second embodiment identical to those in thefirst embodiment are denoted at the same reference numerals.

[0111] The phone holder comprises a fixed casing 10, a movable casing20, and a holder connector 30.

[0112] The construction of the fixed casing 10 of the second embodimentis basically the same as the first embodiment except the following. Inthe second embodiment, a rear portion of each of opposite side walls ofthe fixed casing 10 is formed with a substantially U-shaped cutaway 12′,in place of the through hole 12 in the first embodiment. A bottomportion of the cutaway 12′ is shaped into a semi-circle. The cutaway 12′extends from a bottom portion of the fixed casing 10 upward to an upperend thereof, and is opened upward.

[0113] In this embodiment, the movable casing 20 includes a main body20A and a cover 20B. The main body 20A is formed with a hollow portion(phone insertion space) 21 equivalent to the hollow portion 21 of thefirst embodiment. The cover 20B is mounted at such a position as tocover a rear portion of the hollow portion 21 (a rear portion of themain body 20A) from above.

[0114] A pivot shaft 22′ is integrally formed with the movable casing 20at a rear portion on a lower side thereof. The pivot shaft 22′ has sucha length as to project outward from opposite ends of the movable casing20 in the width thereof. When the pivot shaft 22′ is fitted in abottommost end of the cutaway 12′ (see FIG. 15), the movable casing 20is pivotally supported on the fixed casing 10 about an axis of the pivotshaft 22′. A torsion spring (biasing member) 40 is wound around thepivot shaft 22′ which applies a biasing force to the movable casing 20to raise the movable casing 20 upward (rotate the movable casing 20 in aclockwise direction of FIG. 16).

[0115] Similar to the first embodiment, the movable casing 20 of thesecond embodiment is pivotally supported on the fixed casing 10 and issettable between a housed position (position of FIG. 17) and adetachable position (position of FIG. 16). The torsion spring 40 appliesa biasing force to the movable casing 20 to set the movable casing 20 atthe detachable position.

[0116] Similar to the first embodiment (see FIG. 13), a battery casing90 (see FIG. 16) is mounted on a bottom plane of the mobile phone T inthe second embodiment. Accordingly, the bottom plane of the mobile phoneT corresponding to the battery casing 90 is bulged downward and taperedin the width direction as directed downward. A recess 23 to fit theprojected battery casing 90 of the mobile phone T is formed in a bottomwall of the movable casing 20.

[0117] The construction of the recess 23 and the battery casing 90 whichis engaged in the recess 23 is the same as the first embodiment, andaccordingly, a description thereof is omitted herein.

[0118] Similar to the first embodiment, a phone connector TC is providedat a rear end of the mobile phone T.

[0119] The construction of the holder connector 30 of the secondembodiment is the same as the first embodiment (see FIG. 6). Since theconstruction of the holder connector 30 is not described in detail inthe first embodiment, the construction thereof is described in detailhere in the second embodiment.

[0120] An engagement of the holder connector 30 with the movable casing20 is described referring to FIG. 20. A bottom wall of a rear portion ofthe main body 20A is formed with a lower recess 20 u which engages witha lower portion of the holder connector 30. A top wall of the cover 20Bis formed with an upper recess 20 p which engages with an upper portionof the holder connector 30.

[0121] Referring to FIG. 14, after the holder connector 30 is fitted inthe rear portion of the movable casing 20 via the engagement with theupper recess 20 p and the lower recess 20 u, bolts 70 are inserted inbolt insertion holes 20 b which are formed in the cover 20B. The boltinsertion hole 20 b is opened upward. Screwing the bolts 70 in the boltinsertion holes 20 b fixedly mounts the cover 20B on the main body 20Aof the movable casing 20.

[0122] Referring back to FIG. 20, a projection 30 a projecting downwardis formed in the bottom portion of the holder connector 30, and anengaging recess 20 c which has a greater depth than the lower recess 20u is formed in the bottom wall of the main body 20A. Fitting theprojection 30 a in the engaging recess 20 c restricts a movement of theholder connector 30 relative to the movable casing 20 in the lengthdirection of the mobile phone T (fore and aft directions). Fixation ofthe cover 20B on the main body 20A secures the fitted state of theprojection 30 a in the engaging recess 20 c.

[0123] Referring back to FIG. 14, a recess 28A is formed in oppositesides of the rear portion of the main body 20A, and a recess 28B isformed in opposite side walls of the cover 20B. The recesses 28A, 28Bconstitute a recess (hollow portion) 28 when the cover 20B is jointed onthe main body 20A. A operable member 32 (see FIG. 18) of the holderconnector 30 opposes to part of the recess 28 (specifically to aboundary between the recesses 28A and 28B).

[0124] Referring back to FIG. 14, a projection 20 d projecting rearwardis formed at a lower end of opposite side walls of the movable casing 20near the recess 28A. A stopper 19 is provided at an appropriate positionon an inner side of opposite side walls of the fixed casing 10. Abutmentof the projections 20 d with the stoppers 19 determines an uppermostopened state of the movable casing 20 (i.e., the detachable position ofthe movable casing 20).

[0125] Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, a projection 18 projecting inwardfrom the inner side of the opposite side walls of the fixed casing 10 isintegrally formed with the fixed casing 10 at the rear portion thereof.Each of the projections 18 has such a shape as to be fittable in therecess 28 of the movable casing 20.

[0126] A connector operator 18 a which projects further inward from theremaining portion of the projection 18 is formed at an upper end of theprojection 18. The position and a projected amount of the connectoroperator 18 a are so set as to fulfill the following requirements.

[0127] When the movable casing 20 is set to the detachable position ofFIG. 16, the connector operator 18 a (see FIG. 18) presses the operablemember 32 of the holder connector 30 inward to set the holder connector30 at an unlock position. On the other hand, when the movable casing 20is set to the housed position of FIG. 17, the operable members 32 arereleased from an inwardly biased state by the connector operators 18 a(see FIG. 19) to set the holder connector 30 at a lock position.

[0128] A lower surface of the connector operator 18 a is shaped into atapered surface 18 b to smoothly guide the operable member 32 from theunlock position to the lock position while the movable casing 20 beingchanged from the detachable position to the housed position.

[0129] A locking mechanism 50 is provided in a front wall 14 of thefixed casing 10 to retain the movable casing 20 at the housed position,similar to the first embodiment. A specific arrangement of the lockingmechanism 50 of the second embodiment is the same as the firstembodiment (see FIGS. 11, 12A, 12B) and accordingly is omitted herein.

[0130] Next, an operation of the second phone holder is described.

[0131] Similar to the first embodiment, when the movable casing 20 isnot set at the lock position by the locking mechanism 50, the movablecasing 20 is set at the detachable position of FIG. 16 due to a biasingforce of the torsion spring 40, i.e., rendering the hollow portion 21accessible from upward and in the front direction. In this state, theconnector operators 18 a press the operable members 32 of the holderconnector 30 inward to deform the operable members 32 inward. Thereby,engaging pieces 33 (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 18) are retained at the unlockposition shown by the broken line of FIG. 6.

[0132] When the movable casing 20 is set at the detachable position, themobile phone T can be accessible to the hollow portion 21 from the frontdirection to render the phone connector TC connectable with the holderconnector 30 in the phone insertion direction.

[0133] After the connection, lightly pushing the mobile phone T downwardsets the movable casing 20 to the housed position against a biasingforce of the torsion spring 40. Similar to the first embodiment, thelocking mechanism 50 sets the movable casing 20 along with the mobilephone T at the housed position against the biasing force of the torsionspring 40.

[0134] When the movable casing 20 is set at the housed position, theconnector operators 18 a release pressing of the operable members 32,which in turn, engage the locking members 33 in recesses Ch of the phoneconnector TC, thereby setting the locking members 33 at the lockposition due to a restoring force of the operable members 32. Thus, theconnected state of the holder connector 30 with the phone connector TCis automatically locked.

[0135] Subsequently, when a pushing pin 54 b is depressed, the lockingmechanism 50 releases the locked state of the movable casing 20 (seeFIG. 12B). Then, the movable casing 20 springs up to the detachableposition due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 40. Accompaniedwith the spring-up of the movable casing 20, the operable members 32 ofthe holder connector 30 are pushed inward by the connector operators 18a. Thereby, the engaging pieces 33 are automatically returned to theunlock position. In this state, the mobile phone T is detachable fromthe hollow portion 21 of the movable casing 20.

[0136] The second phone holder has advantages similar to the first phoneholder, and further has the following effects.

[0137] (a) The connector operators 18 a, which directly press theoperable members 32 of the holder connector 30, are integral with thefixed casing 10. Accordingly, the second phone holder can reduce thenumber of parts, and the construction thereof can be simplified.

[0138] (b) The pivot shaft 22′ which supports the fixed casing 10 isintegral with the movable casing 20. Accordingly, compared to the casewhere the movable casing 20 and the pivot shaft 22 are individuallyproduced, this phone holder can further reduce the number of parts.

[0139] Further, the cutaway 12′ opened upward is formed in the fixedcasing 10 to insert the pivot shaft 22′ from above. Accordingly, thisphone holder can easily assemble the movable casing 20 on the fixedcasing 10. The assembling procedure is described as follows.

[0140] First, as shown in FIG. 15, the torsion spring 40 is wound aroundthe pivot shaft 22′ which is integrally formed with the main body 20A ofthe movable casing 20 before the assembly. The pivot shaft 22′ isinserted in the cutaway 12′ in a state that the main body 20A standsupright. Then, after the pivot 22′ abutting against the bottom end ofthe cutaway 12′, the main body 20A is laid down in a horizontal posturein a hollow portion 11 of the fixed casing 10 to render the projections20 d mounting over the stoppers 19 of the fixed casing 10. After settingthe movable casing 20 at the housed position in the fixed casing 10, theholder connector 30 is mounted in the main body 20A. At the last stage,the cover 20B is mounted on the main body 20A.

[0141] (c) Since the movable casing 20 is divided into two parts, themain body 20A and the cover 20B, the engagement of the holder connector30 in the lower recess 20 u of the main body 20A is facilitated beforethe cover 20B is mounted on the main body 20A. Further, mounting thecover 20B on the main body 20A after the engagement secures theplacement of the holder connector 30 between the main body 20A and thecover 20B. This secured placement of the holder connector 30 leads to astable fitting of the projection 30 a of the holder connector 30 in therecess 20 c of the main body 20A, thereby restricting a forward/rearwardmovement of the holder connector 30. Accordingly, an additionalattachment for restricting the forward/rearward movement of the holderconnector 30 can be omitted, and the mounting of the holder connector 30on the movable casing 20 can be simplified.

[0142] Further, restricting a moved amount of the holder connector 30 bythe engagement of the projection 30 a in the engaging recess 20 cfacilitates wiring of the holder connector 30.

[0143] [Third Embodiment]

[0144] Next, a third embodiment of this invention is described withreference to FIGS. 21 to 29. A phone holder of the third embodiment hasthe following features.

[0145] Note that elements of the third embodiment identical to those inthe first and the second embodiments are denoted at the same referencenumerals.

[0146] (1) In the first and the second embodiments where the movablecasing 20 has the bottom wall and the side walls, and is accordinglyopened upward and in the front direction, the mobile phone T isaccessible to the movable casing 20 from the top and as well as from thefront. Accordingly, there remains a possibility that the mobile phone Tmay be inserted obliquely downward toward the holder connector 30 anddetached therefrom obliquely upward. The oblique insertion anddetachment may damage or break the holder connector 30.

[0147] Accordingly, to eliminate such a possibility (breakage or damageof the holder connector 30), this embodiment adopts covers 20 v shown inFIGS. 24 to 26. Specifically, the covers 20 v are provided at a rearportion of side walls of the movable casing 20 in such a shape as tocover opposite side ends of a rear end of the mobile phone T (i.e.,connected part of the mobile phone T with the holder connector 30) fromabove. The cover 20 v prevents an oblique insertion (connection) andejection of the mobile phone to and from the holder connector 30 (seeFIGS. 26 and 27). Thereby, the third phone holder can prevent breakageor damage of the holder connector 30 with a simple construction.

[0148] (2) Even if the cover 20 v is provided, there still remains apossibility that the mobile phone T may be inserted in the movablecasing 20 obliquely downward at a forward side (left side in FIG. 29) ofthe cover 20 v, as shown in FIG. 29. In this case, let us assume that aplane oriented upward toward the holder connector 30 from a recess 23 isa flat slope 23 a′ shown by the broken line in FIG. 29. Then, there maybe a possibility that the rear end of the mobile phone T which has beenconnected with the holder connector 30 is displaced upward while slidingalong the slope 23 a after the connection, thereby deforming theconnected position.

[0149] In order to avoid such a possibility, this embodiment adopts astepped portion 23 a shown by the solid line in FIG. 29. The rear end ofthe mobile phone T which is being inserted obliquely downward abutsagainst the stepped portion 23 a, thereby preventing an upwarddisplacement of the rear end of the mobile phone T. Accordingly, thephone holder of this embodiment can securely retain the connectedposition while protecting the holder connector 30.

[0150] (3) In the case where the mobile phone T is inserted in themovable casing 20 from the front, an enlarged contact area of the mobilephone T with the movable casing 20 may result in increase of africtional resistance, which becomes a hindrance against a smoothinsertion/ejection of the mobile phone T in and out of the movablecasing 20.

[0151] To prevent such a difficulty, plural projections (or connectoroperating members) 23 b are intermittently arranged on an inner side ofthe opposite side walls of the movable casing 20. Then, the mobile phoneT slides in the movable casing 20 while coming into contact with theprojections 23 b without a direct contact with the side walls of themovable casing 20, thereby reducing a contact area with the movablecasing 20 and accordingly, reducing a frictional force which might havecaused without the projections 23 b.

[0152] (4) In this embodiment, a locking mechanism 50′ of a pivotal typeis adopted to retain the movable casing 20 at a housed position.Specifically, referring to FIGS. 21, and 27 to 29, the locking mechanism50′ comprises a base member 55, a pivotal member 56, and an operationbutton 57. The base member 55 includes a base plate 55 a and a buttonsupport arm 55 b. The pivotal member 56 has an attachment 56 a and alocking pawl (engaging piece) 56 b.

[0153] The operation button 57 is supported on the button support arm 55b to be vertically movable up and down thereon. The attachment 56 a ismounted on the base plate 55 a to be pivotable about an axis of ahorizontal shaft. The locking pawl 56 b is urged in a clockwisedirection in FIGS. 27 to 29 toward the fixed casing 10 by a biasingforce of an unillustrated torsion spring which is wound around thehorizontal shaft.

[0154] The operation button 57 protrudes upward to communicate with athrough hole 14 c which is vertically formed in a front wall 14 of thefixed casing 10. A lower end 57 a of the operation button 57 is providedright above the pivotal member 56.

[0155] Before pressing the operation button, the locking pawl 56 b isfitted in a recess 96 of the mobile phone T in the fixed casing 10,i.e., the mobile phone T and the movable casing 20 are set at the housedposition (see the state of FIG. 28).

[0156] Then, pressing the operation button 57 downward from the abovestate pushes the pivotal member 56 downward via the lower end 57 a ofthe operation button 57, thereby rotating the locking pawl 56 b in acounterclockwise direction against the biasing force of the torsionspring. Thereby, the locking pawl 56 comes out of the recess 96 torelease the locked state of the mobile phone T with the fixed casing 10.

[0157] Reference numeral 10 a in FIGS. 21, 27 to 29 is a bottom lid tocover the locking mechanism 50′ when the locking mechanism 50′ ismounted in a bottom wall 14 of the fixed casing 10.

[0158] The locking mechanism 50′ of a pivotal type facilitates releaseof a locked state with one-push of the operation button 57, andaccordingly enhances the operability of the phone holder, compared tothe locking mechanism 50 of a slide type shown in the first embodiment.

[0159] (5) In the third embodiment, omitted is the self connectorlocking/releasing mechanism shown in the first embodiment in which theconnected state of the mobile phone T with the holder connector 30 isretained and the locked state is released in association with a positionchange of the movable casing 20 between the detachable position and thehoused position. Constructing the fixed casing 10 and the movable casing20 in such a manner as to restrict a disengagement of the mobile phone Tfrom the holder connector 30 when the movable casing 20 and the mobilephone T are set at the housed position (state of FIG. 25), even withoutthe self locking/releasing mechanism, retains a secured connected stateof the holder connector 30 with the mobile phone T.

[0160] [Fourth Embodiment]

[0161] Next, a fourth embodiment of this invention is described withreference to FIGS. 30 and 31. Note that elements of the fourthembodiment identical to those in the first to the third embodiments aredenoted at the same reference numerals.

[0162] In the first to the third embodiments, the movable casing 20 ismounted on the fixed casing 10 to be pivotable about the axis of thepivot shaft 22 (22′). In this embodiment, a movable casing 20 issupported in a fixed casing 10 to be vertically movable in the fixedcasing 10 while maintaining a substantially horizontal posture.

[0163] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 30 and 31, a projection 27 isprovided at an outer side of opposite side walls of the movable casing20, and a vertical slit 17 is formed in an inner side of opposite sidewalls of the fixed casing 10. Fitting the projections 27 in the slits 17enables the movable casing 20 to be vertically movable by a strokecorresponding to a length of the slit 17.

[0164] When the movable casing 20 is set at an uppermost position(detachable position shown by the solid line in FIG. 31), a hollowportion (phone insertion space) 21 is accessible upward and in a frontdirection (left side in FIGS. 30 and 31). On the other hand, when themovable casing 20 is set at a lowermost position (housed position shownby the broken line in FIG. 31), the movable casing 20 and the mobilephone T are accommodated in a hollow portion (movable casingaccommodating space) 11 of the fixed casing 10.

[0165] In this embodiment, the mobile phone T can be inserted in themovable casing 20 through the front side of the hollow portion 21 (seethe arrow A1 of FIG. 31) when the movable casing 20 is set at theuppermost detachable position. Thereafter, lowering the movable casing20 to the lowermost housed position accommodates the movable casing 20with the mobile phone T in the fixed casing 10 (see the arrow A2 of FIG.31).

[0166] In this arrangement, the length of the hollow portion 21 can bereduced to almost the same size as the length of the mobile phone T,thereby downsizing the phone holder as a whole.

[0167] Further, a compression spring 41 (see FIG. 31) is interposedbetween a bottom plane of the movable casing 20 and an upper surface ofthe fixed casing 10 to urge the movable casing 20 upward (toward thedetachable position), and a locking mechanism similar to the lockingmechanism 50 (50′) in the first to the third embodiments is provided inthe fixed casing 10. Thereby, the operability of the phone holder can beimproved similar to the first to the third embodiments.

[0168] It may be possible to incorporate a connector operator toautomatically set a holder connector 30 at a locked state accompaniedwith lowering of the movable casing 20 to the housed position.

[0169] As mentioned above, the specific switching mechanism of themovable casing 20 to change the position thereof between the housedposition and the detachable position can take any arrangement as long asthe movable casing 20 is settable at the detachable position to matchthe phone insertion direction substantially with the connectingdirection with the holder connector 30, while reducing the size of thehollow portion 21 as much as possible to downsize the phone holder.

[0170] The hollow portion 21 may be configured into any shape accordingto a designer's selection. In particular, the mobile phone T has thebattery casing 90 (projection) at the bottom plane thereof as in thefirst embodiment, forming the recess 23 in such a shape as to fit theprojection 90 of the mobile phone T improves a secured state of themobile phone T in the movable casing 20.

[0171] Further, in the case where plural kinds of mobile phones whichdiffer in the size (depth) of battery casing 90 (small size compartment90A. medium size compartment 90B, and large size compartment 90C) areselectively held in the phone holder, as shown in FIGS. 46A, 46B, 46C,the thickness of the mobile phone T greatly varies according to the sizeof the battery casing.

[0172] Even in such a case, forming a recess 23 in a one-size-fits-allmanner with a depth great enough to insert the largest battery casing90C enables a stable holding of the mobile phone T in the movable casing20. Accordingly, this phone holder is versatile to hold mobile phoneswith different sized battery casings including the largest batterycasing 90C.

[0173] For instance, when a mobile phone T′ is formed with a batterycasing 90′ which has a projected amount smaller than the battery casing90 shown by the solid line in FIG. 13, and the mobile phone T with thelarge battery casing 90 or the mobile phone T′ with the small batterycasing 90′ are selectively held in the phone holder, the phone holder isformed with the recess 23 with a depth large enough to fit the largebattery casing 90. Accordingly, the phone holder can hold the mobilephones T and T′ in the movable casing 20 irrespective of the size(depth) of the battery casing.

[0174] The locking mechanism used in retaining the housed position ofthe movable casing 20 is not limited to the locking mechanism 50 (50′).Sliding a rod or pivoting a pivotal member to release a locked state ofthe movable casing 20 may be applicable. Further, in the foregoingembodiments, a direct engagement of the locking mechanism 50 with themobile phone T is adopted. As an altered form, the locking mechanism maybe engaged with the movable casing 20 to be indirectly engaged with themobile phone T.

[0175] In the foregoing embodiments, the mobile phone T is held in thephone holder in a substantially horizontal state. Alternatively, thephone holder may hold the mobile phone T in an upright posture. Further,in the foregoing embodiments, the phone insertion space 21 is accessibleupward and in a front direction of the phone holder. Alternatively, thehollow portion 21 may be accessible at least in the same direction asthe connecting direction of the mobile phone T with the holder connector30, e.g., in the front direction in the example of the drawings.

[0176] In summing up the foregoing disclosures, we proposed an inventivephone holder for holding a mobile phone which comprises: a movablecasing formed with a hollow portion adapted for receiving the mobilephone; a holder connector mounted on the movable casing at such aposition as to be connectable with the mobile phone when the mobilephone is inserted in the movable casing; and a fixed casing forsupporting the movable casing. The movable casing is settable between ahoused position where the movable casing is housed in the fixed casingalong with the mobile phone and a detachable position where the hollowportion is accessible to allow insertion of the mobile phone with theholder connector and ejection of the mobile phone.

[0177] The phone holder may further comprise a biasing member forbiasing the movable casing toward the detachable position, and a lockingmechanism for locking the movable casing and the mobile phone at thehoused position against a biasing force of the biasing member andreleasing the locked state upon application of an external force. Withthis structure, by operating the locking mechanism, the movable casingcan be released from its locked state at the housed position.

[0178] The holder connector may include a connector locking mechanismhaving a locking member for retaining the connected state of the holderconnector with the mobile phone and an operable member operable uponreceiving the external pressing force to switch the locking memberbetween a lock position and an unlock position. With this structure, theconnected state of the holder connector can be further secured. Inaddition, the phone holder of this invention may further comprise aconnector operator for operating the operable member to set the lockingmember at the unlock position when the movable casing is set at thedetachable position and set the locking member at the lock position whenthe movable casing is set at the housed position. Thus the user does nothave to perform a special task for changeover of locking state.

[0179] The movable casing may be pivotally connected to the fixed casingabout a rear end of the movable casing that is opposite to the openingend of the hollow portion. With this construction, the operation forcerequired to pivot the movable casing can be lessened in comparison tothe case that the movable casing as a whole had to be lifted.Furthermore, the holder connector is positioned near the pivotal end ofthe movable casing thus the wiring to the holder connector can besimplified.

[0180] The rear end of the movable casing may be integrally formed witha pair of pivot shafts extending in a lateral direction, and the fixedcasing may be formed with a cutaway opened upward to receive the pivotshaft from bottom so that the fixed casing rotatably supports themovable casing about the pivot shaft when the pivot shaft is fitted in abottom end of the cutaway. With this construction, thanks to thegravity, the pivot shafts of the movable casing can be easily fit to thecutaway so that the connection of the movable casing to the fixed casingcan be facilitated.

[0181] The holder connector may include the connector locking mechanismhaving a locking member for retaining the connected state of the holderconnector with the mobile phone and an operable member operable uponreceiving the external pressing force to switch the locking memberbetween a lock position and an unlock position. The phone holder mayfurther comprise a connector operator for operating the operable memberto set the locking member to the unlock position when the movable casingis set at the detachable position and to set the locking member to thelock position when the movable casing is set at the housed position.

[0182] The connector operator may include a connector operating memberintegrally formed with the fixed casing and protruding inward from aninner wall of the fixed casing, the connector operating member formedinto such a shape as to change the operable member to set the lockingmember at the unlock position when the movable casing is set at thedetachable position and set the locking member at the lock position whenthe movable casing is set at the housed position. With this structure, achangeover operation of lock and unlock of the connection of theconnector is made possible and it contributes to simplification of thestructure, resulting in lower cost.

[0183] The connector operator may include a movable member movablebetween an operable position to render the operable member operable anda retracted position away from the operable position toward outside ofthe movable casing, and a guide member may be formed in an inner wall ofthe fixed casing to move the movable member to set the locking member atthe unlock position when the movable casing is set at the detachableposition and set the locking member at the lock position when themovable casing is set at the housed position. With this construction, anautomatic operation of the holder connector is made possible.

[0184] The movable casing and the fixed casing may be so constructed asto restrict a movement of the mobile phone in a direction away from theholder connector when the movable casing is set at the housed position.With this construction, inadvertent disconnection of the mobile phonefrom the holder connector, when in the hosed position, can be preventedwithout having a separate locking mechanism for the holder connector.

[0185] The movable casing may include a main body formed with the hollowportion to set the holder connector and a cover mounted on the main bodyto cover the holder connector set in the main body of the movablecasing, the cover and the main body holding the holder connectortherebetween when the cover is mounted on the main body. With thisconstruction, the holder connector can be installed onto the movablecasing without an aid of such as a holder mounting jig.

[0186] It is preferable that at least one of the main body and the coverof the movable casing is provided with a connector stopper forrestricting a movement of the holder connector along a connectingdirection by an engagement with the holder connector, and the engagedstate of the holder connector with the connector stopper is retainedwhen the cover is mounted on the main body of the movable casing.

[0187] The movable casing may be formed with a recess at a bottom wallthereof to receive a bulged portion formed on a plane of the mobilephone opposing to the bottom wall. With this configuration, the holdingstate of the mobile phone to the movable casing is enhanced.

[0188] The recess of the movable casing may be formed in such a shape asto fit the bulged portion of the mobile phone in a one-size-fits-allmanner, the bulged portion being different in a projected amount from aflat bottom plane of the mobile phone due to a type of battery to beloaded therein. With this configuration, many or maybe all kinds ofmobile phones currently available on the market can be held in the phoneholder.

[0189] The movable casing may have a bottom wall and side walls to forman opening opened upward and in a front direction, and the holderconnector may be provided at a rear position of the movable casing to beconnectable with the mobile phone in a phone connecting direction. Themovable casing may be formed at a rear position on the side wall with acover in such a shape as to cover part of a top portion of the mobilephone to prevent the mobile phone from obliquely connected to anddetached from the holder connector. With this configuration, the mobilephone's oblique movement with respect to the movable casing can beprevented, protecting the holder connector from being damaged.

[0190] The movable casing may have a bottom wall and side walls to forman opening opened upward and in a front direction. The holder connectormay be provided at a rear position of the movable casing to beconnectable with the mobile phone in the phone connecting direction. Therecess of the movable casing may be shaped into a stepped portion with alevel thereof higher toward the holder connector to secure an abutmentof a leading end of the mobile phone with the stepped portion so as toprevent the mobile phone from intruding further rearward of the movablecasing over the stepped portion. With this configuration, a progressingmovement of the end of the mobile phone along an upward slope from therecess to the holder connector portion is prevented, thereby preventingan undesired contact of the mobile phone to the holder connector.

[0191] [Fifth embodiment]

[0192] Next, a fifth embodiment of this invention is described withreference to FIGS. 32 to 44. Note, once again, that elements of thisembodiment identical to those in the first to the fourth embodiments aredenoted at the same reference numerals. Further, the motivation of thedevelopment of this fifth embodiment is in view of the followingproblem.

[0193] In the case where the backside of the mobile phone T (lower sidein FIG. 45) is flat, the phone insertion of the mobile phone T in thefirst stage and the second stage is feasible. However, in the case wherethe backside of the mobile phone T is partially formed into a projectionor a bulged portion (battery casing) to accommodate a battery or itsequivalent therein, the connection of the mobile phone T with the holderconnector 206 in the second stage may become difficult due to theprojection of the mobile phone T.

[0194] In particular, as shown in FIGS. 46A to 46C, there are varioustypes of mobile phones, currently available on the market, respectivelyformed with battery casings 90A, 90B, and 90C on a backside of a mobilephone T. The battery casings 90A, 90B, 90C have different depths d_(A)to d_(C) (vertical dimension in FIGS. 46A to 46C), i.e., differentprojected amounts from the backside of the mobile phone. In such a case,it is hardly impossible to hold the mobile phones of different types(depths) in the same phone holder.

[0195] A phone holder of this invention is adapted for holding a mobilephone T with a boat-like shape which is formed with a battery casing (orprojection) 90 on a bottom plane thereof to accommodate a battery. Thephone holder comprises a fixed casing 110, a connector module 120, and amovable casing 140.

[0196] The fixed casing 110 extends in a lengthwise direction of themobile phone T (fore and aft directions of the phone holder), and isshaped into a vessel or a boat-like shape with an opening opened upwardexcept a rear end thereof.

[0197] The movable casing 140 includes a recess 141 which substantiallycoincides with a bulged portion or the battery casing 90 of the mobilephone T, and is so constructed as to support the mobile phone T in asubstantially horizontal posture in a fitted state of the projection 90in the recess 141.

[0198] As shown in FIG. 35, a rib 142 extending in the lengthwisedirection of the mobile phone T is formed at opposite side walls of themovable casing 140. A guide recess 112 is formed in an inner side ofopposite side walls of the fixed casing 110 at a position correspondingto the rib 142. Fitting the ribs 142 in the guide grooves 112 mounts themovable casing 140 in the fixed casing 110 to be slidable in thelengthwise direction of the mobile phone T.

[0199] A rib 113 projecting inward is formed on the side walls of thefixed casing 110 at a position above the guide groove 112. The rib 113is fittable in a recess 94 of the mobile phone T when the mobile phone Tis accommodated in the fixed casing 110.

[0200] Also, referring to FIG. 35, a top surface 111 of the fixed casing110 (i.e., a plane in contact with a bottom surface of the movablecasing 140) is formed into a series of projections and recesses tosmoothly guide the movable casing 140 in the fixed casing 110.

[0201] As shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, the connector module 120 comprisingan upper casing 121 and a lower casing 122 is constructed such that aholder connector 130 is held between the upper casing 121 and the lowercasing 122 at a rear portion of the fixed casing 110. The connectormodule 120 is arranged in the fixed casing 110 at such a position as torender a phone connector TC provided at a rear end of the mobile phone Tconnectable with the holder connector 130 when the mobile phone T set inthe movable casing 140 slides rearward in the fixed casing 110 (see FIG.37).

[0202] Note that the mobile phone T and the battery casing 90 are shownby a hatched portion as an integral member in FIGS. 36 and 37 for sakeof easier explanation.

[0203] Similar to the first embodiment, the holder connector 130 isintegrally formed with a connector main body 131 and a pair of left andright operable members 132. The locking and unlocking of engaging pieces133 (corresponding to the engaging pieces 33 of the first embodiment)with recesses Ch of the mobile phone T are the same as in the firstembodiment. Accordingly, the construction of the operable member 132,the engaging piece 133, and the recess Ch, and the description on thelocked and unlocked state are omitted here in this fifth embodiment.

[0204] Further, similar to the first embodiment, a stopper 134 (seeFIGS. 38 to 41) is formed on the connector main body 131 to restrict theoperable member 132 from deforming beyond a maximum amount.

[0205] The upper casing 121 and the lower casing 122 of the connectormodule 120 are so shaped as to hold the holder connector 130 to beslidable in the length direction of the mobile phone T by a certainstroke. Specifically, the connector module 120 (i.e., the upper casing121 and the lower casing 122) is opened in a front side (lower side inFIGS. 40 and 41). A connector operator 122 d is formed at opposite endsof the connector module 120 in the widthwise direction of the mobilephone T opposing to the front opening (side) of the connector module120. The connector operator 122 d projects inward to press the operablemember 132 of the holder connector 130 inward.

[0206] Referring to FIGS. 40 and 41, a bracket 123 is mounted on a rearportion of the holder connector 130. A pair of left and right pins 123 aextend rearward from the bracket 123 to be respectively inserted injointed through holes (cutaways) 121 a, 122 a which are respectivelyformed in the upper casing 121 and the lower casing 122. A compressionspring (biasing member) 124 is wound around each of the pins 123 abetween the bracket 123 and a rear end wall of the upper casing 121 andthe lower casing 122 to urge the holder connector 130 forward (downwardin FIGS. 40 and 41) due to a biasing force of the compression springs124.

[0207] Specifically, when an external pressing force is not applied tothe holder connector 130, the compression springs 124 apply a biasingforce to set the holder connector 130 at such a position (position ofFIG. 40) as to press the operable members 132 inward by the connectoroperators 122 d.

[0208] Note that the cutaways 121 b, 122 b (see FIGS. 38, 39) are formedin the rear end wall of the respective upper casing 121 and the lowercasing 122. An electric cord D (see FIG. 40) of the holder connector 130is drawn outside the connector module 120 through the cutaways 121 b,122 b.

[0209] Referring to FIGS. 40 and 41, a vertically extending rotary shaft125 a is provided on a lower surface of the connector main body 131 ofthe holder connector 130. A pinion gear 125 is mounted to be rotatableabout an axis of the shaft 125 a. A rack 122 c which is meshable withthe pinion gear 125 is provided on an inner side of an upper surface ofa bottom wall of the lower casing 122. Meshing the rack 122 c with thepinion gear 125 slides the holder connector 130 relative to the lowercasing 122 in the length direction of the mobile phone T in associationwith a rotation of the pinion gear 125.

[0210] A drive transmitter 126 which integrally comprises a rack 126 aand a contact piece (contact plate) 126 b is mounted in the connectormodule 120. The rack 126 a extends in the length direction of the mobilephone T and is inserted from the front side of the connector module 120.The rack 126 a is meshable with the pinion gear 125 and slidable in thefore and aft directions of the phone holder (length direction of themobile phone T). The contact piece 126 b is integrally connected to afore end of the rack 126 a and extends in a direction normal to thephone insertion direction (i.e., in the width of the mobile phone T).

[0211] With this arrangement, the rack 122 c, the pinion gear 125 andthe drive transmitter 126 constitute a drive transmission mechanismwhich moves the holder connector 130 at a speed half as fast as themoving speed of the movable casing 140 in the same direction as themovable casing 140 and in association with a fore/aft movement thereof.The compression springs 124 also apply a biasing force to the movablecasing 140 as well as the holder connector 130 to urge the movablecasing 140 forward in a direction away from the holder connector 130, ina leftward direction in FIGS. 36 and 37. That is, due to the biasingforce of the compression springs 124, the movable casing 140 is set at adetachable position where the mobile phone T is ejectable from the fixedcasing 110.

[0212] In this embodiment, an engaging mechanism is provided for holdingthe movable casing 140 at such a position (a housed position) to set thephone connector TC and the holder connector 130 at a connected position(retracted position shown in FIG. 37). A specific construction of theengaging mechanism is shown in FIGS. 42 to 44. Note that, in thesedrawings, the connector module 120 is omitted for sake of easierexplanation.

[0213] A substantially fan-shaped recess 115 is formed in a rear portionon the top wall of the fixed casing 111 (upper portion in FIGS. 42 to44). A lever 116 is fitted in the recess 115 to be pivotable about arear end thereof (upper end in FIGS. 42 to 44) corresponding to a center(root) of the fan-shaped recess 115. An upward extending projection 116a is formed at a fore end of the lever 116.

[0214] A groove (or an engaged member) 146 is formed in a rear portionon the bottom wall of the movable casing 140. The groove 146 has anopening opened downward to fit the projection 116 a of the lever 116mounted on the fixed casing 110.

[0215] The groove 146 includes an entrance groove 146 a opened in therear direction (upper direction in FIGS. 42 to 44), and a loop groove146 b which is communicated with the entrance groove 146 a at a fore endthereof and encases a substantially heart-shaped cam 145.

[0216] The loop groove or the loop portion 146 b is shaped to fulfil thefollowing requirements. As the movable casing 140 carrying the mobilephone T approaches the connector module 120 (i.e., toward the holderconnector 130) in the rear direction of the phone holder, the projection116 a first enters the entrance groove 146 a, passes along a side wall(right side in FIGS. 42 to 44) of the loop groove 146 b, and reaches acenter recess P of the cam 145 (see FIGS. 43 and 44). In the state offitting the projection 116 a in the center recess P, the movable casing140 is set at the engaged position to retain the phone connector TC andthe holder connector 130 at the connected position.

[0217] Further, when the connector main body 123 is lightly pushedrearward from the above engaged state, the projection 116 a comes out ofthe center recess P, passes along the opposite side wall (left side inFIGS. 42 to 44) of the loop groove 146 b, and returns to the entrancegroove 146 a, thereby releasing the engaged state of the movable casing140.

[0218] Referring back to FIGS. 33 and 34, a cutaway 114 is formed in aforward portion on opposite side walls of the fixed casing 110. Theheight of the side walls of the fixed casing 110 and the position of thecutaways 114 are set such that when the mobile phone T is set in themovable casing 140 (see FIG. 34), and the movable casing 140 isretracted in the rearward direction to connect the mobile phone T withthe holder connector 130, the opposite side walls of the fixed casing110 cover the side portions of the mobile phone T and that when themobile phone T is advanced forward to be disconnected from the holderconnector 130 (see FIG. 33), side surfaces of a forward portion 91 ofthe mobile phone T are exposed outside through the cutaways 114.

[0219] Next, an operation of the phone holder of the fifth embodiment isdescribed.

[0220] When the mobile phone T is not set in the movable casing 140,i.e., an external force is not applied to the connector module 120, theholder connector 130 is biased forward and retained at the detachableposition by a biasing force of the compression springs 124 in theconnector module 120. In this state, the connector operators 122 d ofthe lower casing 122 press the operable members 132 inward. Thereby, theengaging pieces 133 of the holder connector 130 are disengaged from therecesses Ch of the mobile phone T, thereby setting at an unlockposition.

[0221] In association with the forward biased state of the holderconnector 130, the drive transmitter 126 which is linked with the holderconnector 130 via the pinion gear 125 and the rack 126 a is biasedforward at a stroke twice as large as the pushing stroke of the holderconnector 130. At this time, the movable casing 140 in contact with thecontact piece 126 b of the drive transmitter 126 is retained at aforemost position (see FIGS. 32 and 36). At this time, the movablecasing 140 is set at the detachable position.

[0222] Then, when the mobile phone T in a substantially horizontalposture is set in the movable casing 140 and slides rearward toward theconnector module 120 in a state that the battery casing 90 is fitted inthe recess 141 of the movable casing 140, the movable casing 140 and themobile phone T are integrally retracted rearward to connect the phoneconnector TC of the mobile phone T with the holder connector 130 in theconnector module 120, thereby setting the movable casing 140 at theconnected position or housed position.

[0223] When sliding the mobile phone T in the fixed casing 110, thedrive transmitter 126 of the connector module 120 moves rearward at thesame speed as the mobile phone T while rotating the pinion gear 125which is in mesh with the rack 126 a of the drive transmitter 126.Thereby, the holder connector 130 moves rearward in the connector module120 at a speed half as fast as the drive transmitter 126 (i.e., themobile phone T) in association with the rotation of the pinion gear 125(state of FIG. 41).

[0224] Specifically, as the holder connector 130 is moved rearward, theholder connector 130 and the phone holder TC of the mobile phone T areconnected due to a difference between the moving speed of the holderconnector 130 and the mobile phone T. Further, accompanied with therearward movement of the holder connector 130, the operable members 132are released from a pressed state by the connector operators 122 d.Thereby, the engaging pieces 133 are automatically fitted in therecesses Ch of the mobile phone T due to a restoring force of theoperable members 132 (i.e., set at a locked position) to retain theconnected state of the holder connector 130 with the phone connector TC.

[0225] Accompanied with the rearward sliding of the movable casing 140carrying the mobile phone T, the projection 116 a of the lever 116provided at the top wall of the fixed casing 110 is guided along theside wall of the loop guide 146 through the entrance groove 146 a of themovable casing 140 toward the center recess P (see FIG. 43). Then,lightly pushing the mobile phone T in the movable casing 140 rearwardafter abutment of the phone connector TC with the holder connector 130slightly advances the mobile phone T and the movable casing 140 forwardagainst the biasing force of the compression springs 124, therebyfitting the projection 116 a in the center recess P of the cam 145 (seeFIG. 44). Thereupon, the movable casing 140 and the mobile phone T areretained at the connected position of the holder connector 130 with thephone connector TC against the biasing force of the compression springs124.

[0226] When the connected state is finalized, the entirety of the sideportions of the mobile phone T is covered by the side walls of the fixedcasing 110. Accordingly, the mobile phone T at the connected position(housed position) is inaccessible in the width direction of the mobilephone, i.e., holding the mobile phone T in the width direction thereofwith fingers of a person or its equivalent is not feasible. With thisarrangement, the mobile phone T snuggles in the fixed casing 110 at theconnected position (housed position), thereby preventing an erroneousoperation of forcibly pulling out the mobile phone T from the fixedcasing 110 to disengage the phone connector TC from the holder connector130 despite the locked state of the connection.

[0227] Next, described is an operation where the movable casing 140 isreturned to the detachable position from the connected position (housedposition). Lightly pushing the mobile phone T rearward toward theconnector module 120 disengages the projection 116 a from the centerrecess P. Then, the projection 116 a is guided along the opposite side(left side in FIG. 44) of the loop groove 146 b toward the entrancegroove 146 a. During the travel of the projection 116 a along the abovetrack, the mobile phone T and the movable casing 140 are moved forwardby the biasing force of the compression springs 124, thereby enablingejection of the mobile phone T from the fixed casing 110.

[0228] At this time, the holder connector 130 which is connected withthe phone connector TC of the mobile phone T also advances forward inthe connector module 120. Accompanied with the advancement of the holderconnector 130, the operable members 132 of the holder connector 130 arepressed inward by the connector operators 122 d, thereby changing theengaging pieces 133 from the lock position to the unlock position. As aresult, the locked state of the connection between the phone connectorTC and the holder connector 130 is released to render the mobile phone Tdisconnectable from the holder connector 130.

[0229] In association with the advancement of the holder connector 130,the pinion gear 125 in mesh with the rack 122 c is rotated. Then, thedrive transmitter 126 advances forward at a speed twice as large as theadvancing speed of the holder connector 130, and the contact piece 126 bof the drive transmitter 126 pushes the movable casing 140 and themobile phone T forward. As a result, the mobile phone T is disconnectedfrom the holder connector 130.

[0230] Specifically, the moving speed difference between the drivetransmitter 126 (i.e., the mobile phone T) and the holder connector 130enables disengagement of the phone connector TC from the holderconnector 130. After the connected state of the holder connector 130with the phone connector TC is released, holding the forward portion 91of the mobile phone T through the cutaways 114 with fingers or itsequivalent facilitates ejection of the mobile phone T from the fixedcasing 110.

[0231] As mentioned above, the phone holder of the fifth embodiment isconstructed such that the movable casing 140 is mounted on the fixedcasing 110 to be slidable relative thereto in a state that theprojection 90 on the bottom plane of the mobile phone T is fitted in therecess 141 of the movable casing 140, and sliding the movable casing 140relative to the fixed casing 110 enables connecting the phone connectorTC of the mobile phone T with the holder connector 130. Accordingly,this phone holder enables a smooth connection of the phone connector TCwith the holder connector 130 while stably holding the mobile phone T inthe movable casing 140 despite the projection 90.

[0232] Even in the case where batteries of plural kinds which differ indepth are accommodated in the battery casing 90, and accordingly, mobilephones of different types provided with battery casings of differentshapes (depths), e.g., the small size battery casing 90A, the mediumsize battery casing 90B, and the large size battery casing 90C are heldin the phone holder, as shown in FIGS. 46A to 46C, the phone holder isversatile in holding these mobile phones of different types.

[0233] For instance, providing the movable casing 140 with the recess141 deep enough to fit the largest battery casing 90C enables holdingthe mobile phone T with the largest battery compartment 90C in themovable casing 140 in a stable state and smoothly guides the mobilephone T to the connectable position with the holder connector 130.

[0234] In the fifth embodiment, described is the phone holder with theprojection (battery casing) 90 at the bottom plane thereof. However, theprojection is not limited to the battery casing 90 for accommodating abattery therein. In other words, the phone holder of this invention isapplicable to a phone holder capable of holding a mobile phone formedwith a projection other than the battery casing.

[0235] In the fifth embodiment, the following effects are obtainable.

[0236] {circle over (1)} The movable casing 140 is biased forward whenan external pressing force is not applied (i.e., set at the detachableposition), while retaining the holder connector 130 and the phoneconnector TC at the connected position against the biasing force of thebiasing member. Lightly pushing the mobile phone T rearward (applicationof an external pressing force) from the above state releases the lockedstate. Accordingly, single operation of pushing the mobile phone Trearward disengages the mobile phone T from the holder connector 130 andejects the mobile phone T from the fixed casing 110.

[0237] {circle over (2)} The holder connector 130 is moved in the samedirection as the mobile phone T when inserting and ejecting the mobilephone T in and out of the fixed casing 110 at a speed half as fast asthe mobile phone T. Accordingly, a stroke necessary for connecting themobile phone T with the holder connector 130 (i.e., a moved amount ofthe mobile phone T from the start to the end of the connection) becomestwice as long as that in a phone holder without the drive transmissionmechanism (or a force duplex mechanism), and a peak force required forconnection/disconnection is lessened, compared to the case where theabove speed difference is not set.

[0238] {circle over (3)} The holder connector 130 has a lockingmechanism for changing the position of the engaging pieces 133 betweenan unlock position and a lock position in response to an application ofa pressing force by the connector operators 122 d. Specifically, whenthe operable members 132 move forward in association with an advancementof the holder connector 130, the connector operators 122 d of theconnector module 120 press the operable members 132 inward to release alocked state of the engaging pieces 133.

[0239] With this arrangement, during the connection of the mobile phoneT with the holder connector 130, the connected state is locked to securean electrical connection. On the other hand, in association with anejection of the mobile phone T, the locked state is automaticallyreleased. This arrangement eliminates an additional operation ofreleasing the locked state.

[0240] The drive transmission mechanism (or the force duplex mechanism)comprising the pinion gear 125 and the drive transmitter 126 may beomitted. In the case where this mechanism is omitted, for example, aspring is interposed between a rear end of the movable casing 140 andthe rear portion of the fixed casing 110 to directly transmit a biasingforce thereof to the movable casing 140.

[0241] The arrangement of the force duplex mechanism is not limited tothe foregoing embodiment. For example, a gear train with a certaindeceleration ratio including plural gear wheels may be provided in theholder connector 130. Thereby, the ratio of the moving speed of theholder connector 130 to the moving speed of the mobile phone T can befreely set, and accordingly, the connecting stroke and the forcenecessary for connection can be freely set.

[0242] The force duplex mechanism may comprise a linking mechanism torender the holder connector 130 movable relative to the mobile phone Tin association with the movement of he mobile phone T.

[0243] In the foregoing embodiment, described is the case where theholder connector 130 and the drive transmitter 126 are incorporated inthe connector module 120, and constitute the connector module 120 as awhole. Alternatively, the holder connector 130, the drive transmitter126, and the racks 122 c, 126 a my be individually arranged at therespective appropriate positions in the holder main body.

[0244] Further, in the fifth embodiment, the recess 141 (engaged member)is formed in the movable casing 140. As an altered form, the recess maybe formed in the mobile phone T.

[0245] In the foregoing embodiments, the phone holder is constructedsuch that pushing the mobile phone T rearward after the insertion in thephone holder releases a locked state of the connection with the holderconnector 130. Alternatively, an operation button or its equivalent maybe provided at an appropriate position on the fixed casing to releasethe locked state of the connection.

[0246] Further, this invention is applicable to any arrangement where amobile phone T is held in the phone holder in a state that a phoneconnector is connected with a holder connector regardless of anyspecific use or purpose. For instance, this invention is applicable to acase where a mobile phone T is connected with an electronic device suchas a personal computer for radio communication, as well as a case wherea mobile phone T is connected with a speaker in a passenger compartmentof a vehicle.

[0247] In summing up the disclosures in the fifth embodiment, weproposed an inventive phone holder for holding a mobile phone formedwith a bulged portion on a plane thereof which comprises: a holderconnector connectable with the mobile phone; a fixed casing mounted withthe holder connector thereon: and a movable casing slidably mounted onthe fixed casing in a connecting direction of the holder connector withthe mobile phone, formed with a recess to fit the bulged portion of themobile phone, the movable casing and the mobile phone slide in the fixedcasing in a fitted state of the bulged portion in the recess to connectthe mobile phone with the holder connector.

[0248] In this arrangement, the integral sliding of the mobile phonewith the movable casing in a fitted state of the projection of themobile phone in the recess of the movable casing toward the holderconnector enables smooth connection of the mobile phone with the holderconnector despite the existence of the projection. After the connection,the connected state of the mobile phone with the holder connector in thefixed casing remains stable. Further, when ejecting the mobile phonefrom the holder connector, simply pushing the mobile phone and themovable casing in a direction toward the holder connector after theconnection enables smooth ejection of the mobile phone from the holderconnector and consequently from the fixed casing.

[0249] The recess of the movable casing may be so designed as to fit thebulged portion of the mobile phone, the bulged portion being differentin a projected amount from a flat plane of the mobile phone due to atype of battery to be loaded therein. With this configuration, thecommon phone holder can be used for various kinds of mobile phonescurrently available on the market whose thickness vary due to the sizeof the battery loaded therein.

[0250] The phone holder may further comprise a biasing member forbiasing the movable casing in a direction away from the holderconnector, and an engaging mechanism for retaining the movable casingand the mobile phone in a connected position of the mobile phone withthe holder connector against a biasing force of the biasing member andreleasing the connected state upon application of the external force.With this structure, by merely releasing the engagement state of themobile phone to the holder connector, the mobile phone can be disengagedfrom the holder connector and the movable casing can be restored to itsoriginal state.

[0251] The engaging mechanism may include an engaged member provided inthe movable casing, and the engaging mechanism is so constructed as toengage with the engaged member. With this construction, re-designing ofthe mobile phone is not required for this engagement purpose, therebyfacilitating the versatile use of the phone holder.

[0252] The engaging mechanism may be so constructed as to release theconnected state when the mobile phone in the movable casing is pushedtoward the holder connector from the connected position. With thisstructure, the mere operation of the mobile phone enables a release ofthe connection between the mobile phone and the holder connector.

[0253] The holder connector may be mounted on the fixed casing to bemovable in the connecting direction with the mobile phone. The phoneholder may further comprise a drive transmitter for moving the holderconnector at a speed slower than a moving speed of the mobile phone inthe same direction as a moving direction of the mobile phone inassociation with the movement of the mobile phone to connect and ejectthe mobile phone to and from the holder connector due to a moving speeddifference between the mobile phone and the holder connector. With thisconfiguration, the holder connector is movable in the same direction asthe mobile phone, thus this increases the total stroke of the movablephone required for connection and disengagement in comparison to thecase with the holder connector in stationary manner. On the other hand,due to this structure, the peak force required for disengagement (orconnection) is lowered, thus the operation force needed for the mobilephone for this operation can be lowered, enhancing the operability ofphone holder.

[0254] The holder connector may include a connector locking mechanismhaving a locking member for retaining the connected state of the holderconnector with the mobile phone and an operable member operable uponapplication of the external pressing force to switch the locking memberbetween a lock position and an unlock position. The fixed casing mayinclude a connector operator for operating the operable member to switchthe locking member from the lock position to the unlock position whenthe holder connector moving in a direction opposite to the phoneconnecting direction with the mobile phone in the fixed casing. Withthis arrangement, the electrical connection between the holder connectorand the mobile phone can be further secured when in the lock state: onthe other hand, releasing of the lock state, when the mobile phone needsto be disengaged from the holder connector, can be automatically done.

[0255] The side wall of the fixed casing may be so designed as to covera side portion of the mobile phone when the mobile phone is set at theconnected position with the holder connector and expose part of the sideportion of the mobile phone when the mobile phone is set at a detachableposition away from the connected position. With this arrangement, whenthe mobile phone is securely connected to the holder connector, thesides of the mobile phone are covered thus the temptation to grab theexposed portion of the mobile phone is not generated; on the other hand,the part of sides of mobile phone are exposed when the phone is in thedetachable position, the exposed side portion of the mobile phone can beeasily grabbed for disengagement operation.

[0256] Although the present invention has been fully described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to beunderstood that various changes and modifications will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise such change andmodifications depart from the scope of the invention, they should beconstrued as being included therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A phone holder for holding a mobile phonecomprising: a movable casing formed with a hollow portion adapted forreceiving the mobile phone; a holder connector mounted on the movablecasing at such a position as to be connectable with the mobile phonewhen the mobile phone is inserted in the movable casing; and a fixedcasing for supporting the movable casing, the movable casing settablebetween a housed position where the movable casing is housed in thefixed casing along with the mobile phone and a detachable position wherethe hollow portion is accessible to allow insertion of the mobile phonewith the holder connector and ejection of the mobile phone, wherein themovable casing includes a main body formed with the hollow portion toset the holder connector and a cover mounted on the main body to coverthe holder connector set in the main body of the movable casing, thecover and the main body holding the holder connector therebetween whenthe cover is mounted on the main body.
 2. The phone holder as defined inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the main body and the cover of themovable casing is provided with a connector stopper for restricting amovement of the holder connector along a connecting direction by anengagement with the holder connector, and the engaged state of theholder connector with the connector stopper is retained when the coveris mounted on the main body of the movable casing.
 3. A phone holder forholding a mobile phone comprising: a movable casing formed with a hollowportion adapted for receiving the mobile phone; a holder connectormounted on the movable casing at such a position as to be connectablewith the mobile phone when the mobile phone is inserted in the movablecasing; and a fixed casing for supporting the movable casing, themovable casing settable between a housed position where the movablecasing is housed in the fixed casing along with the mobile phone and adetachable position where the hollow portion is accessible to allowinsertion of the mobile phone with the holder connector and ejection ofthe mobile phone, wherein the movable casing is formed with a recess ata bottom wall thereof to receive a bulged portion formed on a plane ofthe mobile phone opposing to the bottom wall.
 4. The phone holder asdefined in claim 3, wherein the recess of the movable casing is formedin such a shape as to fit the bulged portion of the mobile phone in aone-size-fits-all manner, the bulged portion being different in aprojected amount from a flat bottom plane of the mobile phone due to atype of battery to be loaded therein.
 5. The phone holder as defined inclaim 3, wherein the movable casing side walls which together with thebottom form an opening opened upward and in a front direction, theholder connector is provided at a rear position of the movable casing tobe connectable with the mobile phone in a phone connecting direction,the movable casing is formed at the rear position on the side wall witha cover in such a shape as to cover part of the mobile phone to preventthe mobile phone from being obliquely connected to and detached from theholder connector.
 6. The phone holder as defined in claim 3, wherein themovable casing has side walls which together with the bottom wall forman opening opened upward and in a front direction, the holder connectoris provided at a rear position of the movable casing to be connectablewith the mobile phone in the phone connecting direction, the recess ofthe movable casing is shaped into a stepped portion with a level thereofhigher toward the holder connector to secure an abutment of a leadingend of the mobile phone with the stepped portion so as to prevent themobile phone from intruding further rearward of the movable casing overthe stepped portion.